The ‘Prehistory’ of Gregory of Tours: An Analysis of Books I-IV of Gregory’s Histories . Adrian Smith MPhil University of York History Department September 2010 This thesis is concerned with the structure and agenda of the first four books of Gregory of Tours’ Histories . Building on the idea that it was the death of Gregory’s patron, king Sigibert, at the end of Book IV, that stimulated the writing of the Histories , I argue that the agenda of the first four books, the ‘Prehistory’, relates directly to the events that brought about the Civil War that resulted in Sigibert’s death. This focus has previously gone unrecognised. I suggest that there is a strong structural framework to this section of the Histories , designed to promote the author’s agenda. This confirms that Books I-IV were conceived as one unit, and also heightens the level at which modern scholarship should view Gregory’s literary achievement. This in turn should illuminate the state of Merovingian education and society as a whole. The message behind Gregory’s carefully structured ‘Prehistory’ is an expansion of the Preface to Book V, in which Gregory pleads with his audience, his contemporary kings, to follow the path of God, like their ancestor, Clovis. This will bring peace and an end to greed and Civil War. This path, continually espoused by the agents of the Lord, His bishops, would lead to a successful reign and a healthy kingdom. Failure to listen to Gregory and his colleagues, would lead only to ruin, a message reiterated throughout the Prehistory, and highlighted in the death of king Sigibert. 2 Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: Historiographical Background 10 1.1 Introduction 10 1.2 The Scope of the Thesis 12 1.3 The Manuscript Transmission of Decem Libri Historiarum 14 1.4 Artless recorder or artful manipulator? Previous views on Gregory of Tours and the Decem Libri Historiarum 20 1.5 Audience for the Histories . Precedence for audience, agenda and style 57 1. 6 The Date of Composition 65 1.7 Conclusion 66 Chapter 2: An Overview of the Structure of Books I-IV 68 2.1 Cardinal Chapters: Beginning, middle and end chapters of Books I-IV 69 2.2 Book II 72 2.3 Book III 75 2.4 Book IV 77 2.5 Book I as key to the ‘Prehistory’ 80 2.6 Chiastic structure of Books I-IV 83 2.7 Conclusion 86 Chapter 3: Gregory of Tours’ Presentation of Kingship (1): Kingship up to Clovis 88 3.1 Biblical Precedent 89 3.2 Bad Exemplars 95 3.3 Historical Precedent 97 3 3.4 Clovis 101 3.5 Unification of the Franks 107 3.5.1 Greed 108 3.5.2 Pride 112 3.5.3 Debauchery 116 3.6 Structural Motifs 120 3.7 Summary 121 Chapter 4: Gregory of Tours’ Presentation of Kingship (2): Kingship under Clovis’ Successors 122 4.1 Theuderic and Theudebert: a comparison 122 4.2 Theuderic and Clovis in comparison 131 4.3 Trickster Kings 134 4.4 Contemporary Kings: Chlothar 143 4.5 Marital Affairs 149 4.6 Civil War 155 4.7 The Beginning of the End 156 4.8 Conclusion 159 Chapter 5: The Effects of Kingship on Society: Clergy and Women 161 5.1 Book I 161 5.2 Book II 168 5.3 Book III 174 5.4 Book IV 175 5.5 Episcopal Division: Cato and Cautinus 176 4 5.6 The Role of High Status Women in Book III 182 5.6.1 Amalaberg 183 5.6.2 The Burgundian Affair 185 5.7 Conclusion 199 Chapter 6: Conclusion 200 6.1 The Framework: Cardinal Chapters 200 6.2 Book I as key 205 6.3 Multi-Layered Structure 207 6.4 Central theme 210 6.5 Gregory’s advice to kings 210 6.6 Colourful narrative 214 6.7 Gregory’s Antecedents 215 6.8 Date of Composition of the Histories 216 6.9 Audience 217 6.10 Summary 220 Appendix A 222 Appendix B 229 Abbreviations 230 Bibliography 238 5 Tables Numerical centrality of Hist . II.40-42…………………………..Appendix B. 6 List of Illustrations 1. Primary personalities, quartile chapters and divisions of Book I. 2. Primary personalities of Books I-IV and theme of each book. 3. Division of Book I with respect to the presentation of the Church. 4. Division of books I-IV with respect to the presentation of the Merovingian dynasty. 7 I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped make this project possible: Marc Ormrod, Katie Cubitt, Jane Hawkes, Henry Bainton, but especially Professor Guy Halsall without whose patience, support and expertise this would not have reached completion. Last but not least, my family, who have suffered my absence, in mind if not in body, for the past four years. Thank you. 8 Some of the ideas in this thesis, especially those in chapters 3 and 4 were contained in my MA thesis at the Centre for Medieval Studies at York University, ‘The themes and context of Book III within the Prehistory of Gregory of Tours.’ 9 Chapter 1: Introduction: Historiographical Background 1.1 Introduction ‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.’ So said the English writer Leslie Poles Hartley. 1 He may well have been describing sixth- century Gaul: the Roman Empire had crumbled, ‘Germanic’ warlords now ruled much of the West and little survives of the literature of the time. In northern Gaul in the second half of the sixth century, a bishop of Tours, Georgius Florentius Gregorius, known to posterity as Gregory of Tours, composed eight books of hagiography and ten books of history. 2 These testaments survive as evidence of the politics, society and theology of this post-imperial world. According to Gregory, and we have to take him at his word as the lone authority on the subject, 3 he was born into a family well used to holding episcopal power. There were only five of the previous bishops of Tours to whom he was not related. 4 In addition the sees of Langres, Lyon and Clermont had been held by members of his family in his recent past. 5 It is the Ten Books of History that concern us here. Gregory was following such authors as Eusebius and Orosius when he turned his attention to the writing of a history. Like Eusebius, he was concerned with issues surrounding the history of 1 L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between (Penguin Classics, 2000) p.5 2 The eight books of hagiography are: The Life of the Fathers , The four Books of the Miracles of St. Martin , the Miracles of St. Julian , The Glory of the Martyrs , The Glory of the Confessors . 3 See I.N. Wood, Gregory of Tours (Headstart History Papers: Bangor, 1994), pp.55-6. 4All Latin quotes are taken from Krusch & Levison's edition, and, unless stated, all translations are from Thorpe’s English translation, often modified. See also I.N. Wood, ‘The Individuality of Gregory of Tours’, WGT , pp.29-46, at p.32. 5 R. Van Dam, Saints and Their Miracles in Late Antique Gaul. (Princeton 1993), pp.52-68. 10 the Church. Like Orosius he concerned himself with affairs of state. 6 I will argue that Gregory was thus more political than Eusebius, who was concerned with the legitimacy of the fourth-century church. Gregory however, while building on such issues by citing Eusebius, also wished to explain to the rulers of his day, how they could follow the path of God, and so guarantee success. 7 I also see Gregory as being much more coherent in his presentation than Orosius. Where he stands out from most of his predecessors is in that Gregory wrote mostly about contemporary society. Even the great Roman historians had largely terminated their accounts before they reached contemporary events. 8 In general it was probably considered too dangerous an enterprise. How much more dangerous then, one would think, considering the world in which Gregory lived and wrote? Sixth-century Gaul is known to us largely through the writings of Gregory himself, and so there must be a certain amount of care taken when mining his 6 K.A. Mitchell, ‘History and Christian Society in Sixth-Century Gaul: an Historiographical Analysis of Gregory of Tours’ Decem Libri Historiarum ’, (Unpublished PhD thesis. Michigan State University, 1983), pp. 54, 57. Gregory would have known Eusebius through Rufinus’ translation, eusebii ecclesiastica historia : T. Mommsen (ed.), in E.Schwarz & T. Mommsen (eds.), Eusebius, Die Kirchengeschichte , Vols I-III, Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller, (Berlin, 1999). Paulus Orosius, K.F.W. Zangemeister (ed.), CSEL 5. Historiarum adversum paganos libri VII, accedit eiusdem liber apologeticus (Hildesheim, 1967). For discussions on Rufinus’ translation see M. Humphries, ‘Rufinus’s Eusebius: Translation, Continuation, and Edition in the Latin Ecclesiastical History ’, in Journal of Early Christian Studies 16:2, (2008), 143-164; J.E.L Oulton, ‘Rufinus’s Translation of the Church History of Eusebius’, Journal of Theological Studies 30 (1929): 150-174. 7 This theme starts with Book I and continues through the whole unit of four books. See relevant chapters for detailed discussion. 8 See for example Tacitus, Historiae , thought to culminate with the death of the tyrant Domitian, written many years later; his continuator Ammianus Marcellinus, stops his account with the death of Valens, the predecessor in the East to Theodosius, under whom he was composing his works; Ammianus Marcellinus , trans. J.C. Rolfe, 3 vols. (London 1935-9). In Praef . XXVI Ammianus discusses the dangers of writing contemporary history; see also J.